Feather-removing device.



E. G. BERG.

FEATHER REMOVING DEVICE.

APPLLcATloN HLED1uLY3o,|913.

1,217,393. y Patented Feb. 27,1917.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EMIL G'. BERG, OF FRIBAULT, MINNESOTA.

rEA'rHER-REMOVING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2'?, 1917.

, Application led July 30, 1913. Serial No. 782,018.

1 cation.

The object of this invention is to provide a machine for removing feathers from fowl. The tedious operation of plucking feathers from chicken or other fowl not only con- `vide means for conveying sumes a great deal of time in smallhouseholds but is a source of great expense in markets, hotels and other places of business where large numbers of fowl are required to be dressed. Also in retail establishments when it is desired to sell live fowl 'and dress the same after beiner sold, a great deal of time is required in filling such orders. v

It is one of the objects of my 'invention to provide a machine adapted to quickly remove the feathers and to perform this voperation without in any way mutilating or defacing the skin of the fowl.

In this connection it is one of the'objectsof my invention to provide a machine wherein the pressure desired inthe removal of the feathers can beapplied and yvaried in accordance' with the size ofthe fowl so asy not only to extendthe utility of the machine to all kinds lof fowl but also render the same efiicient irrespective of the size of the fowl to be dressed. y

A vfurther object of the invention isto 'profeathers away from the point or pointsof operation upon the fowl so as notto interfere withthe sight of the operator. A

The invention will be more fully described in connection'with the accompanying drawings and will be more particularlypointed out in and by the appended claim. I f In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 1 of Fig. 3, showing one form of myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation looking' in thedirection of arrow 2 of Fig.l 3.

Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 4 of Fig. 3. l r

Fig.5 is a perspective view of a detail of construction.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another detail of construction.

vthe removed l ,and 25 whichv vwith bevel gears there will tary bodies as the` cores.

Like characters vof reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

As illustrated, the device of my vinvention includes a frame comprising upward bearing posts 1-1 and 2-2 which are suitably` braced and connected by longitudinal and transverse frame-members.' In the bearing posts 1 and 2 are mounted short shafts 3 and 4 on the adjacent ends of which are mounted bearing arms 5 and 6 on which the featherl removing means are carried. On the shaft 3 I provide bevel gears vwhich mesh with bevel gears 7 ydisposed upon a driven shaft' 8. The driven shaft 8 is mounted in bearings 9 and may beprovided centrally ofits ends with a worm Wheel 10 adapted to mesh with a Worm 11. The worm 11 is mounted upon a drive shaft 12 which is journaled in bearings 13 and 14. Intermediate the vide a pulley 15, or any means for operating the drive shaft 12.A If desired, an electric motor or a prime mover may be directly connected with the drive shaft 12.

I have described and illustrated the fore` going specific driving arrangement because the same represents one of the simplest forms for use` in this connection, but it will be understood that'I-do not wish The upper ends of the 17 in which are journaled shaftsv 18 and 19.

to be limited lto bearings 13 and 14 I may pro- 'Thfese shafts 18 and-'19carry sprocket wheels` .'20 andf21 over which 'sprocket chains 22 and 23 are trained, said chains, at their lower l' ends be'ing'trainedl about vsprocket wheels 24' can be conveniently formed, I 6', but which ,may be separately formed and secured to the shafts 3 and 4.

Feather removing means in the form of brushes 26 and 27 are mounted upon shafts,

18 and 19,' respectively,'and are adapted to be/rotate'd in the direction of arrows shown in Fig. 2. v

The brushes may be formed of any soft non-metallic material, as regards the bristles,

-and the bristlesare of relatively great length with respect to the cores 28 and 29 so that be no danger of the fowl being imp inged between any such unyleldlng roth bristles of 'the Furthermore,

brushes will necessarily be of'material which readily;

loo

flex when the fowl is interposed between the brushes so that in functioning to remove the feathers, the brushes will not act in the capacity of pickers or pluckers but will rather cause removal of the feathers by sustained frictional contact, and by reason of the relatively` high speedwith which the brusheswill be rotated.

1 right bearing In ordervto permit the operator to easily vary the distance between thebrushes in accordance with the size of the fowl being operated upon, I provide a treadle mechanism which may be in the form shown.

Referring to Figs. 1, and 4, treadle bars are pivotally mounted at 31, to the upposts 1. rlhe bars 30 project between the bearing posts, 2 and are connected by a transverse treadle bar 32.

I conveniently provide arms 33 and 34 on the arm 6, and connect the arms 33 and 34 by chains 35 and 36 with the treadle'bars 30. Stop devices preferably in the form of blocks are secured to the vbearing posts 1 and 2 and one of said blocks is shown in perspective in Fig. 6, and is indicated at 37.

The block 37 has a stop portion 38 adapted to be engaged by one of the arms 33 or 34, in accordance with the post to which the block is secured. This stop 38, as will be readily seen by reference to Fig. 1, is arranged to normally limit movement of the brushes toward each other beyond the position shown in Fig. 1. The block37-has an inclined downwardly limiting stop portion 39, adapted to be'engaged by an outwardly limiting lug 40 on arm 6. Thus the outward movement of the brushes on'the bearing arms 5 `wardly and' and 6, due to the interposition of the body of the fowl between said brushes, will be permitted by this construction against the resistance of whatever power the operator may apply to the treadle bar 32.

In practice, I have found it Vdesirable to rovide ,means for normally4 causing the Y rushes to seek an outward position, and in the form shown I secure to the bearing arms 6 weighted arms 41 and 42, havingdisposed on their outer ends, weights 43 and 44, which ma be adjusted tothe desired positions and loc ed in such position by means such Aas screws 45 and 46.

I norder to lpartially counterweight the action of weights-43 and 44 so that downward movement .of the treadle will not involve a pressure lifting the full weight of the parts, I may provide suitable weights 47 on lthe treadle.

Below the brushes 18 and 19, a trough 48 is disposed and the same converges downpreferably discharges at 49, axially into a fan 50. The fan 50 is belted, as indicated at 51, from its pulley to a pulley 52 on the drive shaft 12. The fan 50 is for the purpose of exhausting-,feathers from the of the brushes and if it is vbody so as to bring other head same through a pipe 53 to any suitable point.

I have also provided guards 54 and 55 which I conveniently mount upon arms 56 and 57, adapted to be, secured to the bearing arms 5 and 6, and as both guards are similar only one need be described in detail. rl`he lower edge 59 of the guard 54 .extends downwardly to the trough and when the brush 18 is swung outwardly the lower edge 58 will descend below the top of the trough so as to prevent movement of the feathers outwardly rom over the top of the trough. To a certain'extent the exhaust may fail to withdraw all the feathers impinged upon the ends of thebristles, or between the same, and I desire to provide downwardly bent guard ends 59, which will prevent such feathers from being carried .inwardly from this terminal of the guard.

In order to facilitate removal of the feathers, the fowl to be dressed may be scalded so as to open the pores of theskin, or any other preliminary treatment may be given the fowl in accordance withi conditions under which the machine is 'operated However, I desire tohave it understood that in practicethe device ofmy invention will be effective4 in removing thefeathers without such preliminary treatment.

lIn operation one or more fowl may be held by the neck with the tails projecting downwardly between the brushes as indicated by lthe arrow a shown in Fig. 2. As the fowl 1s allowed to descend between the brushes the bristleswill flex and the interposition of the body of the fowl will tend to separate the will be such that the body Iof the fowl will' be completely circumferentially engaged by the bristles so that removal action will be complete upon all portions 'of the body. However, the' action will be more intense at opposite points ofthe bod nearest the axes desired to turn the portions thereof into more intense, action by the brushes, the fowl canbe lifted and turned ninety degrees and again lowered between the brushes. After the feathers from all portions of the fowl have been removed except from the wish to be limited thereto, except for such limitations as the claim may import.

can e inverted and neck which are held b p the operator, the body of the fowl I claim In a-machine of the character described,

naled 1n said frame, pairs ofupright earing members mounted on said shaftland movable thereon, othershafts journaled in 1 said bearing members, brushes carried by said lastmentioned shafts, means to, rotate said last mentioned shafts and said bru'shes, arms projecting outwardly from' and disposed at right angles with respectvto said bearing members, weights adjustably mounted 011 said arms normally tending to retain` saidbrushes out of engagement with each other, other arms, projecting inwardly fromy said bearing membersdisposed in a plane a supporting frame, parallel shafts our-l below the plane vof said first mentioned-arms,

a Weighted treadle carried by said support ing` frame, and means connecting sa1d y treadle and the inner ends of said last mentioned arms, substantially as described.

. In testimony Whereofl aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. EMIL G. BERG;

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. EBEL HENRY A; DUGHARME. 

